Lard product and method of making the same



Patented A a ls, 1930 -umrao STA JOHN 3.: snr'rnnn,

PANY, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA,

or OMAHA, NEBRASKA, Assreiuori. '20 ran cuDAnxrAcxnw con A conronArIon or AINE w LABD PRODUCT AND METHOD OF MAKING THESAI NIE Application filed .Tune 1,

- which is suitable for use for such purposes as cake baking and icing preparation.

The invention includes an improved proces of producing such a product in which the 16 lard is refined to remove more or less completely the free fatty acids which it contains, together with other impurities, in which the refined lard is subjected to hydrogenation to a regulated and limited extent, and in which 20 the hydrogenated lard is deodorized to give an improved product of the character referred to. i Thelard of commerce is of poor keeping quality, frequently becoming rancid before it reaches the consumer, particularly in warm weather or in warm climates. Ordinary lard also varies in color, flavor and consistency.

It has a low smoke point and usually a substantially free fatty acid content. It is lacking or deficient in creaming property and this, together with its flavor, makes it unsuitable for use in making cakes and frosting, for which purposes other fats are employed.

The present invention provides an improved refined and hydrogenated lard product in which the objections to ordinary lard. above mentioned, are overcome or minimized, and which has properties adapting it for use for purposes, such as cake baking and frosting, for which lard has not heretofore been used.

. According to the present invention the lard is first subjected to a refining treatment to.

free it more or less completely from free fatty acids and to remove other impurities such as proteins. Lard, even in a freshly rendered condition, usually has an appreciable content of free fatty acids amounting, for example, to around 5% or more. By refim ing the lard the free fatty acid content is reeping qualities, which is odorless and neu i029; was... 887,887.

L duced to aslow an extent'as is racticable' and ordinarily to below 0.10% an down to, mfsome cases, as low as 0.01%. This refining 'treatment for removing free fatt acids and other impurities can be carried ut, for example, with theuse of a regulated amount of dilute caustic soda solution with thorou h agitation to insure intimacy of contact of t e solution with all parts of the lard while ina warm, liquid condition. This treatment re-. sults in removing the free fatty acids more or less completely and also removing impurlties such as proteins which are present in the untreated lard. After removing the resulting soap solution, for example, by settlmg, the refined lard is obtained free or nearly so from free fatty acids and freed 131 1011: or less completely from, other impuri- 1es. Y I

The refined lard is next subjected tohydro-' genation using, for example, a small amount" of an active reduced nickel catalyst amountmg to from 0.10 to 0.30% of the lard, and introducing hydrogen gradually and progressively into a body of the hot lard maintained at a suitable hydrogenation temperature, e. g., around 300 .to 350 E, and with suitable agitation during the addition of hydrogen. The hydrogenation should be regulated and limited to prevent the lard from being hydrogenated to too great an extent, and the hydrogenation shouldbe stopped while the' hydrogenated lard is still-of such consistency that upon chilling it will still be of lard-like consistency- The hydrogenation is accompanied with a. reduction of the iodine value and an increase in the melting point and titre.

In general,.the iodine values of the hydrogenated'lard will be around 55 to 60, the meltingpoints around 48 to 51 C. and the titres around 40 to 41 C. v

The hydrogenated lard is freed from the a deodorizing treatment by blowing with steam'at a suitable temperature, around 280 I to 350 F. and for a suitable period of time,

catalyst by filtration and is then subjected to e. g., one to two hours. The deodoriz'ed'product is again filtered and .is then chilled'to convert it from. its hot liquid condition to a semi-solid consistency when cool. Thewhich the chilled lard is scraped, intermittent or continuously operating cooling or chilling devices, preferably such as will rapidly cool and chill the lard with agitation or beating to incorporate moreor less gas into the chilled product. The gas is advantageously an inert gas such as nitrogen or hydrogen, and the lard is advantageously packed in sealed packages in an atmosphere of such inert gas, thus protecting it from contact with the atmosphere. "Even when the lard is not so protected by an-inert gas it will have materially improved keeping qualities. as compared with ordinarylard kept under corresponding conditions.

The improved lard product produced as above described is snow-white when solidified andwater-white when melted. It is odorless and neutral in flavor and is suitable for the finest baking,'such as the baking of cake. It has a high smoke point and is eminently suitable for deep frying. In particularthe new product has creaming qualities such that it will cream over a considerable range in temperature and is comparable with or superior to other products now on the market in such creaming qualities. This and the other properties possessed by the improved lard product make it suitable for use in cake baking and in icing preparation. The new lard roduct can therefore be used for purposes ibr which ordinary lard is objectionable or unavailable. It is comparable with or superior to other shortening compositions such as hydrogenated vegetable oils of lard-like consistency which command higher price than ordinary lard, both to the large consumer and to the household trade.

It will thus be seen that the present invention provides an im roved process of treating lard by refining, hydrogenating and deodorizing which results in producinga new and improved lard product of greatly improved keeping qualities and resistance to rancidity, and with other desirable properties which make it superior to ordinary lard and comparable with or superior to hydrogenated vegetable oils in keeping and other properties.

I claim:

1. The method of treating lard to improve its keepin and other properties which com.- prises Sub ecting the lard to a refining treatment to remove free fatty acids more or less completely therefrom and give a substan-" tially neutral product, hydrogenating the refined lard to a regulated and limited extent to ive a hydrogenated product of improved sta ility but still of lard-like consistency when cooled, deodorizing the hydrogenated lard, and cooling the deodorized product to impart to it a lardlike consistency.

The method of treating lard to improve I properties which comthe lard to refining with a its keeping and other prises sub ecting dilute caustic soda solution to remove free fatty acids more or less completely therefrom together with other impurities and give a su stantially neutral product, removing the resulting soap solution from the treated lard, subjecting the treated lard to regulated and limited hydrogenation to give a hydrogenated lard product of improved stabilitybut still of lard-like consistency when cooled, deodorizing the hydrogenated product and cooling the deodorized product.

y 3. An improved lard tially neutral lard which is ,odorless and neutral in flavor, of high smoke point, said product being superior to ordinary lard in stability and keeping pro erties and having creaming properties whic make it suitable for use for such purposes as cake baking and frostmg. g

4. A new lard product such as defined in claim 3 having. an iodine number of around 55 to 60, a melting point of around 48 to 51 and titre around 40 to 41. (In testimony whereof I aifix my signature. \a JOHN R. SHIPNER.

product comprising refined hydrogenated deodorized and substan- 

